LINCOLN, Neb. (NCBWA) – Forty-one players have been named
to the midseason watch list for the third annual National Collegiate
Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, the
association announced Thursday. The award will be given to the top
relief pitcher in Division I college baseball.

Of the 41 pitchers who make up the midseason watch list, nine
have already reached double figures in saves, including VMI's Kevin
Crum, who leads the country with 14 saves in 18 appearances this
season. Sam Houston State's Luke Prihoda and USC's Paul Koss have
already collected 12 saves apiece to rank second nationally, while
seven other pitchers have at least 10 saves.

The 40 pitchers on the mid-season watch list have combined to
save over 300 games during the first half of the 2007 season (thru
games of April 15) and have converted 89 percent of their save chances
as a group. Prihoda, Richmond's Brian Alas and UC Irvine's Blair
Erickson are all perfect on the 2007 season in save chances while
recording at least 10 saves. Erickson already earned a spot in the
NCAA record books earlier this month, breaking the previous mark
of 49 career saves set by USC's Jack Krawczyk's in the late 1990s.

The list features players from 20 conferences, including five
each from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big 12. The Pacific-10
and Conference USA also have four closers on the list, while the
Atlantic Sun, Big South, Mid-American, Missouri Valley and Sun Belt
Conference all had multiple members of the watch list.

2007 NCBWA STOPPER OF THE YEAR MIDSEASON WATCH LIST

Pitcher

School

Cl.

Hometown

Brian Alas

Richmond

Jr.

Port Washington, N.Y.

David Anderson

Coastal Carolina

So.

Lexington, S.C.

Randy Boone

Texas

Sr.

Yoakum, Texas

Matt Brinkmann

Evansville

Se.

Newburgh, Ind.

Andrew Carignan

North Carolina

Jr.

Norwich, Conn.

Nick Cassavechia

Baylor

Jr.

Dallas, Texas

Chance Chapman

Oral Roberts

Sr.

Paso Robles, Calif.

Kevin Crum

VMI

So.

Fairfax, Va.

Sam Demel

TCU

Jr.

Spring, Texas

Josh Dew

Troy

Sr.

Montgomery, Ala.

Jason Dominguez

Pepperdine

Jr.

Lake Balboa, Calif.

Daniel Edwards

Kansas State

Jr.

Kingwood, Texas

Josh Ellis

Wake Forest

Sr.

Lexington, Ky.

Robbie Elsemiller

Stetson

Jr.

Okeechobee, Fla.

Blair Erickson

UC Irvine

Sr.

Fair Oaks, Calif.

Patrick Ezell

Southern Miss

Sr.

Petal, Miss.

Cory Gearrin

Mercer

Jr.

Dayton, Tenn.

Matt German (L)

Northern Illinois

Sr.

Aurora, Ill.

Matt Gorgen

California

So.

Clayton, Calif.

Nick Hagadone (L)

Washington

Jr.

Sumner, Wash.

James Hayes

Rider

So.

Sunrise, Fla.

Kyle Heyne

Ball State

Jr.

Coldwater, Ohio

Dan Kennedy

Georgetown

Jr.

West Orange, N.J.

Paul Koss

USC

Sr.

Orange, Calif.

Noah Krol

Wichita State

Sr.

Nickerson, Kan.

Casey Lambert (L)

Virginia

Sr.

Harrisonburg, Va.

Daniel Latham

Tulane

Sr.

Covington, La.

Andy Masten

Creighton

Sr.

Omaha, Neb.

Shane Mathews

East Carolina

Jr.

Conover, N.C.

Eryk McConnell

N.C. State

Jr.

Waynesville, N.C.

JD Melton

Navy

Fr.

Myrtle Beach, S.C.

David Mixon

Louisiana-Monroe

Sr.

Americus, Ga.

Kyle Nicholson

Texas A&M

Sr.

College Station,
Texas

Luke Pisker

VCU

Jr.

Oley, Pa.

Luke Prihoda

Sam Houston State

Sr.

Weimar, Texas

Garrett Richards

Oklahoma

Fr.

Edmond, Okla.

Shawn Sanford

South Florida

Fr.

Cinnaminson, N.J.

Link Saunders

The Citadel

Sr.

Irmo, S.C.

Daniel Schlereth (L)

Arizona

So.

Lone Tree, Colo.

Michael Seander

Duke

Fr.

Pawtucket, R.I.

Casey Weathers

Vanderbilt

Sr.

Elk Grove, Calif.

(L) indicates left-handed pitcher

"This is a truly outstanding group of pitchers that cover the
landscape of college baseball," said NCBWA 1st Vice-President Shamus
McKnight, Assistant Media Relations Director at the University of
Nebraska. "The recognition for this award over the last two years
has grown immensely as we have seen the increased emphasis on having
strong relief pitching in the college game."

Nominations were made by each school's baseball sports information
contact and over 80 pitchers were nominated from around the country.
A preliminary preseason watch list was released in February. At
the end the regular season, the Division I leader in saves and four
other relief pitching standouts will be selected as the award's
finalists. These finalists will be released on Wednesday, May 30,
just prior to the beginning of NCAA regional play.

From the list of finalists, the NCBWA's All-America Committee
will select a winner. The third annual winner will be announced
on Wednesday, June 6, two days prior to the beginning of NCAA super
regional action. Last year's winner was Don Czyz from Kansas. J.
Brent Cox of Texas won the inaugural award in 2005.

The NCBWA, founded in 1962, presents the Dick Howser Trophy to
the nation's top player. It also selects a Division I All-America
Team, Division I and III Players of the Week, Division I District
Players of the Year and Division III Players of the Year.

For more information on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year, contact
Shamus McKnight at the University of Nebraska at 402-472-7772 (Ext.
210).